What does "maroon" mean?
An escaped black slave of the Caribbean and the Americas or a descendant of such a person.
Maroon
/məˈɹuːn/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An escaped black slave of the Caribbean and the Americas or a descendant of such a person.
- Grammar: maroon is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abandon, abandon, african diaspora member, back out.
- Useful contrasts: bondservant, colorless, enslaved person.
- Usage evidence: If the large maroon turtleneck is too big, do you have it in medium?
How to use "maroon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "maroon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "maroon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "maroon" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "maroon" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An escaped black slave of the Caribbean and the Americas or a descendant of such a person.
"Further north a Maroon community in the Bahoruco Mountains thrived for eighty-five years, until the French proposed a truce under the terms of which the Maroons would be permitted to form an independent clan."
- 2 A rich dark red, somewhat brownish, color. countable, uncountable
"Is it a really dark maroon or a lighter maroon or a maroon that leans toward the red side? Or the magenta side? To address this issue, scientists use something called a color space."
- 3 A rocket-propelled firework or skyrocket, often one used as a signal (for example, to summon the crew of a lifeboat or warn of an air raid).
"On Sunday afternoon a serious firework explosion occurred in Lambeth, whereby three persons were seriously injured. Two lads […] purchased a firework called a “maroon”, which is a bomb consisting of a small ball of string covered with a red composition. It is loaded with gunpowder, and there is also a fuse attached."
- 4 An idiot; a fool. derogatory, slang
"At least, I would not be sleeping that night. Why did I have that espresso? What a maroon!"
- 5 Alternative form of maroon (“descendant of escaped slaves”). alt-of, alternative
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A member of the Queensland State of Origin rugby league team, who wear maroon-coloured jerseys. Australia
- 7 an exploding firework used as a warning signal wordnet
- 8 A castaway; a person who has been marooned.
- 9 a dark purplish-red to dark brownish-red color wordnet
- 10 a person who is stranded (as on an island) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To abandon in a remote, desolate place, as on a desert island.
"Hard-hit by the Arctic winter, the Waverley route was completely closed from January 6-9, when an avalanche between Whitrope and Riccarton marooned Class A2 4-6-2 No. 60535 Hornet's Beauty."
- 2 leave stranded on a desert island without resources wordnet
- 3 leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Associated with Maroon culture, communities or peoples. not-comparable
"In her discussion of Michelle Cliff's Abeng, a novel that historicizes maroon culture and the Jamaican warrior heroine Nanny of the Maroons, Francoise Lionnet examines linguistic “metissage” […]"
- 2 Of a maroon color
Adjective
- 1 of dark brownish to purplish red wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"If the large maroon turtleneck is too big, do you have it in medium?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "maroon"?
Common synonyms include: abandon, abandon, african diaspora member, back out, beg off, bivouac.
How do you use "maroon" in a sentence?
If the large maroon turtleneck is too big, do you have it in medium?
How do you pronounce "maroon"?
Pronounced /məˈɹuːn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French marron (“feral; fugitive”, adjective), from Spanish cimarrón (“fugitive, wild, feral”); see that entry for more.
Etymology 2
Etymology tree Byzantine Greek μάραον (máraon)bor. Italian marronebor. French marronbor. English maroon Borrowed from French marron (“chestnut; brown”). Compare Spanish marrón. Doublet of marron (“sweet chestnut”).
Etymology 3
Unknown. Possibly related to the sense “castaway” (etymology 1), or owing to the fact that the color of a fired flare was commonly red (etymology 2).
Etymology 4
From an intentional mispronunciation of the word moron used by the cartoon character Bugs Bunny.